Binge Drinking and warnings for Alice and Matt

As a UK secondary school teacher in my early 30s, I’ve observed that generally, the teenagers I work with seem to be developing a healthier relationship with alcohol than my generation and previous ones. I think the messages about the dangers of alcohol are starting to filter through; we teach pupils about consent and how alcohol/drugs muddy that. I compare it to my much older siblings’ attitudes to smoking, compared to mine (at school 12 years later, I have never touched a cigarette).

I’m not pretending it’s all a bed of roses here, but I do think that non-drinkers are becoming less ‘weird’ in young adult friendship groups than they were previously. Of course, anxiety, stress and other psychological issues amongst this age group are another story!